BATMAN: POISON GROWTH
by Arkham Crusader
Summary: Batman faces off against Poison Ivy when she attacks a Lexcorp facility, and navigates her terrifying fortress of plants.


_**BATMAN:**_ _ **POISON GROWTH**_ __ _ **by Jacob Shada**_

Pamela Isley cringed when his name appeared in the chemical laboratory. "EXPERIMENT AUTHORIZED BY DR. JASON WOODRUE". Anyone who could've followed the orders of that mad man obviously didn't understand the mission of the Gotham City Botanical Gardens. Strengthen the survival of plants. Ensure mother nature's hand kept a soft touch on the City. Now, however, because of the ruthlessness of Dr. Woodrue, she was dying. Poison Ivy laughed to herself at the thought of Batman's hypocrisy. Why would he fight for Gotham's survival, against so called lunatics, but by fighting her condoning the actions of Jason Woodrue?

It didn't matter.

Ivy injected the roots of the flytrap with her bio enhancing serum. Not even Batman would be able to stop it now.

"My name is Pamela Lillian Isley. The serum injected into the flytrap has, by calculation, increased chlorophyll production by 100 percent, and increased stem strength by at least 50 percent. When my strand of bio enhancement is perfected, this plant will be the dominant species of plant life in Gotham City, capable of fighting even the strongest animal, and by enough demonstration, will be free of human interference. The only thing left to do now is-" Ivy stopped, and put her recorder down. The plant was beginning to decay. Ivy attempted to stimulate it, but it was of no use. Something had killed it, and it wasn't her serum.

Ivy checked the area, when finally a green ooze slipped through the ground. Nuclear waste? Poison Ivy accessed the plans for the city's underground. Exactly as she figured. The scientific research facility run by Lexcorp was halfway across Gotham, and disposed of the waste through an underground network, which had a shortcut to the Botanical Gardens. Morons. The plants could only survive after they had been dealt with.

Batman would no doubt interfere, but Ivy's current strand was enough to repel him. Kill him, no, but repel him long enough to deal with Lex Luthor's murderous facility.

Batman entered the Batcave, and went straight to the computer. "Alfred. I'm reading a seismic disturbance at the Lexcorp Research Facility." Batman briefed. Alfred looked away from his newspaper, but only briefly. "I wasn't aware that Lexcorp had a facility in Gotham, sir?" Alfred sounded curious, but Batman could tell he wasn't entirely focused. "It hasn't been there long. It's not completely registered either. Proprietor is Lex Luthor, but it's being run by his secondary, Mercy Graves. It still has a lot of paperwork to complete before it is officially permitted by the City to begin operation. My readouts show that it's functioning at full capacity though. No doubt Luthor and Graves are blackmailing the committees to turn a blind eye. Whatever's going on, it's attracting attention." Batman put his cowl back on and readied the Batmobile. "Do you have any idea who is attacking?" Alfred inquired, sipping a glass of tea he had made hi self in the vain hopes of a quiet evening.

"The plans show that residue of nuclear waste has been able to find a way to the old Botanical Gardens. My guess is that's where Poison Ivy has been carrying on her experiments. Nobody's been able to get close without either experiencing burning pains, or mysteriously vanishing. This is her kind of vendetta I'm sure." Batman reasoned. "It wouldn't be like the Joker or the Riddler to attack seismically." "Don't stay out too late, sir. Hallmark is having a marathon, and someone needs to prepare my popcorn." Alfred smirked. Batman returned the smirk and drove off.

When he arrived, Batman injected himself with an antidote.

"I can see you, Batman. I can feel your presence. Please, won't you come in?" Poison Ivy's voice welcomed, as the plants retracted. Batman readied a Batarang, and entered the path Ivy had allowed him to travel through. Batman walked carefully. There was no way that Poison Ivy was going to let him get all the way to her without some surprise along the way.

That came.

Without warning, a plant sprung up from the floor and wrapped itself around Batman's foot. Before he knew it, he was being swung around the room by the giant vines that had grabbed him. Batman regained partial control, and grappled to the gargoyle above, and swung himself around it twice, wrapping the plant firmly around it, then tossed an explosive pellet at the plant, severing the arm from his leg. "Batman! Over here!" A man's voice called. Batman glided down to him. "Who are you?" Batman asked him. "My name is Phill Collins. I was working here when that mad woman attacked this place." He said. "Poison Ivy's plants have cut the phone line. I can't call my wife. How do I get out of here?" He asked worriedly. "Follow the same path I used to get in here. I'll deal with Ivy." Batman ordered as he turned to progress. "Yes sir. Thanks, Batman." Phill stood still for a moment, as he watched Batman go on. Suddenly, a sinister smile crosses his face, and his eyes blazed green. His skin melted away to reveal a slender figure with green skin, long red hair, blood red lips, and green eyes.

Poison Ivy.

She tip toed in the wakes of Batman's footsteps, and pulled up a small bit of her skin on her wrist, and a long vine with thorns shot out from her flesh and wrapped around Batman's neck, and blood squirted from his neck. Batman couldn't speak, but that was exactly how Ivy preferred it. No heroic speeches, no lectures, but even Poison Ivy enjoyed pleads for mercy every once in a while.

"Look at you, Batman." Ivy said, seductively rubbing his shoulder. She drew a knife, and stabbed it into Batman's side. "Always a thorn in my side, Caped Crusader." She jabbed the knife in further. "Now I'm the knife in yours. Now if you'll excuse me, this facility needs to be shut down." Poison Ivy kissed him on the cheek as she bid him adieu. Batman could feel the Venom in Ivy's kiss as it coursed through his face. "Enjoy the rest of your evening of agony, Batman." Poison Ivy knocked him over, and walked away.

Batman was losing air and blood quickly. He couldn't free a Batarang from his belt, but he felt Ivy's knife still in his side. He grabbed it, and pulled it out as quickly as possible. He struggled to his feet, and tossed the knife up into the air, and spun around so that the knife came down and cut into the back of the vine, severing it. Batman was free, but Poison Ivy needed to be shut down. Now.

He pulled another antidote vial from his compartment, and injected again.

Batman continued forward, until he could hear Ivy speaking in a motherly tone to the plants that surrounded. "He's what? Batman is here? Don't worry, my sweet. I won't let the big bad Bat take me away from you." She slowly turned her head away from the plants, and her eyes glowed with an evil green at the Dark Knight standing alive at the doorway. "Why do you risk your life to protect the legacy of Jason Woodrue, Batman? He was a monster who would've ripped plants apart like a child at a baseball field? Woodrue created most of the harmful chemicals used at this place." Ivy scolded, smoothly caressing her precious plants. "Woodrue also created you, Ivy." Batman took a step back as the plants grew to surround Ivy like a fortress of fauna. "Well," Poison Ivy smiled that venomous smile. "Everyone does something right in their lifetime. Destroy him! Bring me his cowl to mount in my garden..."

Now, the platform Ivy stood on had grown two giant arms, ripping the room apart to get to Batman. Batman dodged one, kicked another, and tossed a smoke bomb at Ivy. "Batman! I'll bury you alive for that..." Ivy screamed while she coughed. When the smoke cleared, Batman was gone. "Find him!" Ivy commanded as she searched the room herself.

"Are you alright, sir?" Alfred called over Batman's cowl. "I'm about to take her down. I'll be back soon." Batman responded, as he swung over Ivy's head, avoiding her gaze. Batman grabbed a beaker from a cabinet just before another of Ivy's plants ripped it apart. Batman grappled over the room, getting Ivy's attention. "There he is, my children! Kill him!" She commanded, pointing her green finger at him on the rafters. The plants raised up and crushed the beam. Just before, Batman jumped down, and glide kicked Poison Ivy.

"Over here!" She screamed from the ground. "Help me!"

Batman knocked her into the wall, and tossed the beaker at the control plant.

"No! My baby! What have you done?!" She cried, regaining awareness.

Batman kicked off the wall, and back flipped out of the way as Poison Ivy's plants charged her, and knocked her through the wall, screaming. The ground shook once more, and where Ivy had been knocked through, an explosion ripped through the area, and Batman grappled away.

Batman landed in front of the waiting Commissioner Gordon. "What happened? Where's Isley?" Jim asked, looking around. "Do me a favor, Commissioner. Find Mercy Graves, and arrest her. This facility was operating illegally." Batman commanded as he got back in the Batmobile. "But Ivy? Where is-" Jim started, but before he could finish, the Batmobile roared off. "Rude." Jim muttered, as he waved at the fire fighters coming up.

THE END...?

DID BATMAN STOP POISON IVY ONCE AND FOR ALL? CAN SHE BLOOM AGAIN? IS GOTHAM CITY SAFE FROM HER ECO TERRORISM?

Check out the next book, THE DEVIL'S DIVA. ft...HARLEY QUINN

SAME BAT-TIME, SAME BAT-CHANNEL.


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